26/08/2016 23:32Lehtonen connects with her family at the Kisakallio Satellite2016 CEV Satellite - Kisakallio

Kisakallio, Finland, August 26, 2016. After completion of the second day of the CEV Kisakallio Satellite only 12 teams are left to compete for the total amount of 7,500 euros prize money and for valuable FIVB ranking points. For the Finnish star Riikka Lehtonen this tournament brings her close to her family, as both her parents also play a little role in the delivery of the tournament.

Beach Volleyball player Riikka Lehtonen is one of the most famous female athletes in Finland and family has always played a very important role in her life. For Lehtonen the CEV Kisakallio Satellite is something truly special.

While she is playing the matches together with partner Taru Lahti, her parents are working as ball retrievers. That kind of teamwork gave an extra boost to the morale of Lehtonen and Lahti. During the first round of the Kisakallio Main Draw contested on Friday they took an easy win against their Italian opponents Silvia Costantini and Eleonora Gili (21-13, 21-9).

“Before the match me and my parents discussed about them being the ball retrievers, but I was so focussed that I actually only in the end of the first set realised that the ball retriever was my own mom. Of course this was a lovely moment for both of us,” Lehtonen commented.

The start of the tournament was a bit tougher for another local duo, Essi Hasu and Anniina Parkkinen. They lost their first match 1-2 (13-21, 22-20, 8-15) to the Swiss team Laura Caluori and Elena Steinemann. However, with their 21-14, 22-20 victory over Lynne Beattie and Melissa Coutts from Scotland, the fourth-seeded Finnish team can continue their journey in the losers’ bracket. Hasu is contestting at Kisakallio her last competitive tournament before she retires from the sport to focus on a new job as private equity consultant.